Using common heartburn drugs such as Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium could put you at a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease, according to a study released this month by the American Medical Association.
But Dr. Aleah Gibson, a family medicine practitioner with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Aurora office, doesn’t want you to throw out your medications just yet.
The study, from JAMA Internal Medicine, found an increased prevalence of chronic kidney disease among long-term users of these kinds of drugs, called proton pump inhibitors, but it also says the authors don’t have all the information yet, Gibson said.
“I don’t think anyone should stop taking these medications without talking to their doctor first,” she said. “Sometimes we’re on a medication that has risks associated with it but that we’re on for a reason.”
Chronic kidney disease refers to the gradual loss of kidney function and can lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.
The study was performed because proton pump inhibitors already have been linked to acute (or sudden) interstitial nephritis ” a kidney disorder in which the spaces between the kidney tubes become inflamed ““ but little was known about their association with chronic kidney disease.
Proton pump inhibitors also can cause side effects such as decreased bone health and bowel infections, Gibson said, and nephrologists already advise not using them long-term because they can cause renal insufficiency or poor function of the kidneys.
“I think that the use of proton pump inhibitors, in general, is very prevalent and it’s perhaps an overused medication,” Gibson said. “As with any medication, there are definite side effects, and you have to weigh the risks.”
Gibson notes there are alternatives to proton pump inhibitors – such as Zantac and Pepcid – but, again, patients shouldn’t make a switch without first consulting their doctor.
